I will—An orotund voice broke the silence in the hall.
I turned toward the voice.
A fine-looking man wearing a triple-layer suit was walking toward me. As he got closer, I finally saw his face up close—good looking, sharp, probably around the age of 40.
He repeated his words.
"I will play with you."
"And why do you think I will play with you?" I asked, staring straight into his eyes.
"What! You don't want to?"
"What do I gain by playing with you? I mean, if I play one of the participants, I will move to the next level. But playing with you is just a waste of time."
"What do you want? Tell me. If you win, I will give it to you."
"What I want? You can't afford what I want. For now… just buy my time."
"And how much does your time cost?"
"Per minute, 6 dollars. I'm expensive, you know. Can you afford me?"
"Sweet. It's a deal," he said, stretching his hand toward me.
I grabbed his hand confidently, squeezing with a little force.
The chessboard was reset for a guest match.We took our seats and greeted each other.
"Oh! By the way, my name is Veer Krishna Rao."
"My name is Rahul. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Veer."
*MATCH START*
*"White" (Rahul)*
*"Black" (Veer)*
*Move 1:*
White (Rahul): I move pawn from e2 to e4, aiming to control the center.
Black (Veer): Veer responds by moving pawn from e7 to e5.
*Move 2:*
White (Rahul): I develop knight from g1 to f3.
Black (Veer): Veer develops knight from b8 to c6.
*Move 3:*
White (Rahul): I develop bishop from f1 to b5.
Black (Veer): Veer moves pawn from a7 to a6.
*Move 4: *
White (Rahul): I move bishop from b5 to a4
Black (Veer): Veer develops knight from g8 to f6.
*Move 5:*
White (Rahul): I castles kingside.
Black (Veer): Veer moves bishop from f8 to e7.
*Move 6:*
White (Rahul): I move rook from f1 to e1
Black (Veer): Veer moves pawn from b7 to b5.
*Move 7:*
White (Rahul): I move bishop from a4 to b3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves pawn from d7 to d6.
*Move 8:*
White (Rahul): I move pawn from c2 to c3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves knight from c6 to a5.
*Move 9:*
White (Rahul): I develop knight from b1 to c2.
Black (Veer): Veer moves pawn from c7 to c5.
*Move 10:*
White (Rahul): I move pawn from d2 to d4.
Black (Veer): Veer captures pawn on d4 with pawn on c5.
*Move 11:*
White (Rahul): I capture pawn on d4 with pawn on c3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves knight from a5 to c4.
*Move 12:*
White (Rahul): I move bishop from b3 to c4.
Black (Veer): Veer captures bishop on c4 with pawn on b5.
*Move 13:*
White (Rahul): I develop knight from f3 to d2.
Black (Veer): Veer castles kingside.
*Move 14:*
White (Rahul): I move knight from d2 to f1.
Black (Veer): Veer moves queen from d8 to c7.
*Move 15:*
White (Rahul): I move knight from f1 to g3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves pawn from g7 to g6.
*Move 16:*
White (Rahul): I move pawn from h2 to h4.
Black (Veer): Veer moves pawn from h7 to h5.
*Move 17:*
White (Rahul): I move pawn from h4 to g4.
Black (Veer): Veer captures pawn on g4 with pawn on h5.
*Move 18:*
White (Rahul): I move knight from g3 to g4.
Black (Veer): Veer moves knight from f6 to h7.
*Move 19:*
White (Rahul): I move queen from d1 to d2.
Black (Veer): Veer moves pawn from f7 to f5.
*Move 20:*
White (Rahul): I capture pawn on f5 with pawn on e4.
Black (Veer): Veer captures pawn on e4 with pawn on f5.
*Move 21:*
White (Rahul): I move knight from g4 to f5.
Black (Veer): Veer moves bishop from e7 to f6.
*Move 22:*
White (Rahul): I move knight from f5 to g3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves queen from c7 to f6.
*Move 23:*
White (Rahul): I move queen from d2 to e3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves knight from h7 to g5.
*Move 24:*
White (Rahul): I move knight from g3 to e3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves pawn from f5 to f4.
*Move 25:*
White (Rahul): I move pawn from e3 to f3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves knight from g5 to e6.
*Move 26:*
White (Rahul): I move knight from e3 to g4.
Black (Veer): Veer moves queen from f6 to g5.
*Move 27:*
White (Rahul): I capture queen on g5 with queen on e3.
Black (Veer): Veer captures queen on e3 with knight on g5.
*Move 28:*
White (Rahul): I move knight from g4 to f6.
Black (Veer): Veer moves rook from f8 to f6.
*Move 29:*
White (Rahul): I moves rook from e1 to g3.
Black (Veer): Veer captures rook on g3 with rook on f6.
*Move 30:*
White (Rahul): I attack the pawn on g6 to prepare attack on kingside
Black (Veer): Veer captures rook on f6 with his rook on g3.
*Move 31:*
White (Rahul): I move king from g1 to f2.
Black (Veer): Veer moves king from g8 to f6.
*Move 32:*
White (Rahul): I move king from f2 to e3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves king from f6 to e6.
*Move 33:*
White (Rahul): I move king from e3 to d4
Black (Veer): Veer moves king from e6 to d6.
*Move 34:*
White (Rahul): I move king from d4 to c4.
Black (Veer): Veer moves king from d6 to c6.
*Move 35:*
White (Rahul): I move pawn from a2 to a3.
Black (Veer): Veer moves pawn from a6 to a5.
*Move 36:*
White (Rahul): I move pawn from c2 to b4
Black (Veer): Veer captures pawn on b4 with pawn on a5.
*Move 37:*
White (Rahul): I capture pawn on a5 with pawn on b4.
Black (Veer): Veer captures the pawn with his own pawn (axb4).
*Move 38*
White (Rahul): I capture on b4 with his pawn on a4
Black (Veer): veer moves his king to b6
*Move 39:*
White (Rahul): I move king from c4 to b5.
Black (Veer): Veer moves king from c6 to c7.
*Move 40:*
White (Rahul): I move king from b5 to a6.
Black (Veer): Veer moves king from c7 to b8.
*Move 41:*
(Rahul): I move pawn from b4 to b5.
Black (Veer): Veer moves king from b8 to a7.
*Move 42:*
(Rahul): I move pawn from b5 to b6+.
Black (Veer): Veer moves king from a7 to b8.
*Move 43:*
(Rahul): I move king from a6 to b5.
Black (Veer): Veer resigns.
1-0
*Game Stats:*
- Moves: 43
- Time: 3 hours 29 minutes
- Winner: Rahul (White)
- Loser: Veer (Black)